Who Will Replace Kenny Dalglish?

Personally, I’m going to go with The Independent on this, and say that it is going to be the now-ex Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas, whom was sacked by Chelsea mid way through this season after failing to control the personalities at Chelsea. With Liverpool, I’m sure that’s less of a problem, and he might just do well here. He’s looking for another high profile job to further his career, so this might just be a match made in heaven.

Bet365 are having odds of 7/4 on the Portuguese manager, whilst Roberto Martinez lies at the second highest possibility, with him being touted to have a 5/1 shot at the job. Rafa Benitez is said to have a 12/1 at re-landing the Anfield gig.

Rasmus Elm to Liverpool FC

Yeah. This one has been talked about for quite a few weeks now, but now it gets more interesting, because The Daily Mail claim that Liverpool are the hot favourites to sign the midfielder. Not sure if the departure of Kenny Dalglish changes things, but I reckon Liverpool might just complete this deal.

A quality midfielder, although I reckon Liverpool have enough quality in their midfield once Aquilani and Lucas Leiva return to the team. I think it’s really a striker/number 10 we need right now.

Mohamed Diame on a Free Deal

Rumours are flying around that Wigan’s Senegalese midfielder Mohamed Diame is set to move to Anfield in this summer on a Bosman deal, with him out of a contract in the summer.

Liverpool will still have to fork out quite a sum of money to afford his wages, with him rumoured to want a 60,000 pounds a week contract. More updates will follow on this deal.

However, everything hasn’t exactly gone to the script this season.

In this multiple part feature, I will be assessing many aspects of Liverpool FC, including financial, statistical, along with the state of the boardroom. But today, I will quite simply be talking about the team, the tactics and what went right and wrong with the chalkboard this long 2011/12 season.

This post is where I’ll be talking about the current state on the team – form, performances and the players who gel well with each other, along with a couple of transfer moves to make for Liverpool to strengthen their squad.

This year’s tactics were forced to be changed due to an unfortunate injury to Lucas Leiva. His injury has had an effect on the team an as a result of his injury, the Reds have done poorly in the months that have followed, but it would be wrong to blame poor form solely on missing Lucas throughout the second half of the season.

This year has seen Liverpool play mainly with a back 4 that started rocky, with them leaking goals in the pre-season, along with the opening stages of the season, but has only improved with time. This has resulted in Liverpool being the 3rd best team defensively in the Premier League this term. Injuries have hampered the defence this season, but it is the consistency in selection that has got Liverpool this great track record in terms of goals conceded this term.

Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel, Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique have done well this season, although much has been made of Enrique’s poor form of late. But this has been a solid defensive partnership, and coupled with arrivals of Martin Kelly and Sebastian Coates, this can be a defence to be reckoned with in this era of the Premier League.

Downing.... a poor signing so far.

And now off to the midfield. Perhaps the most overvalued bunch of midfielders in the country. Stewart Downing – 16 million pounds – repays this with 36 appearances, 0 goals and 0 assists. I’m pretty decent at Maths, and I am smart enough to recognise that he has had a horrible debut season for the reds. Apart from that one odd Wembley appearance against Cardiff City where he looked half able to get past the full-back, he’s been disappointing – especially for the fee that he came for – this season.

Steven Gerrard’s injuries meant that the squad have had to rotate, and I struggle to see why Maxi Rodriguez hasn’t played more this season. After those two games against Chelsea where he bagged winners earlier on, I thought he would becom a mainstay in the first XI. What happens? Dumped onto the bench and into the wilderness. I don’t get it sometimes, although I’m pretty sure there was some other reason keeping him from playing the games.

Jordan Henderson has already been covered by me here so go ahead and read that article.

Craig Bellamy’s transfer was a masterstroke, and he has proved to be a key player this campaign, although he, like Steven Gerrard, has had injury problems all season long. I classify him as a left winger, a better one than Stewart Downing this term for sure, and he has been instrumental in saving this less than decent 2011/12 campaign.

Jay Spearing has been decent, but in my opinion, that’s all he will ever be. He is not of the same caliber of Lucas, and won’t be for a while. I personally believe that despite all his passion and his effort, he just isn’t up to scratch – at least just yet – and shouldn’t be starting games for Liverpool. Especially games such as the FA Cup final.

Jonjo has been fantastic, and I think he’s got lots of potential right there, Charlie Adam has looked impressive while looking downright frustrating at the same time this season with his ‘Hollywood passes’.

Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll have had a very long season. For Luis, he was embroiled in that racism saga, and I hope we’ll see the last of this, and we see the Uruguayan at his best more next season. Luis has the ability to get past whole teams, but it has been his finishing, coupled with his indecision that often results in the loss of possession this term.

Andy Carroll has showed lots of signs of improvement. His goal against Chelsea was testament to that. He dummied John Terry, turned a couple of times in almost Suarez fashion, and then finished it off with a powerful shot that hit the roof of the net. He’s been winning everything of late (I won’t count the Swansea game because he didn’t have many proper balls to chase) and he’s quite simply rediscovered himself. Hoping he’ll have a quality season next year.

Kenny Dalglish... Liverpool Legend

The now ex-manager of Liverpool FC headed for Boston just days ago to have ‘make it or break it’ talks with the FSG, and the FSG have been quick to wield the axe and sack the manager. There hasn’t been a new manager announce yet, but it is expected that the FSG will take their time with appointing a new manager, with them having the summer period to decide on a new manager, with no competitions in the way for the next few months.

Note that this is OFFICIAL. BBC confirms this, and the rumours stipulate that he has in fact been SACKED, not that he resigned.

FSG’s reign has seen the departure of numerous backroom staff, including director of football Damien Comolli, depart. Expect more updates on this later in the day.

Now I will go into the very long and tragic tale (which has a happy ending) of how I ended up watching the Manchester City game, rather than the Liverpool game this weekend. Simply put, my sports package didn’t provide coverage for the Liverpool match. But I guess I think I was better off seeing the demise and rise again of Manchester City to clinch the Premier League title right under Manchester United’s noses.

What a comeback. What a comeback. It was the stuff of dreams, it was the stuff of champions, and it was the stuff of a billion dollars funded by some weird old Qatar foundation. I personally thought it would have been a routine win for both Manchester clubs, with City walking away with the title, but boy was it more than that.

Game starting off: never before had I seen a game where someone was defending like it was 89th minute …. at the 10 minute mark. It was extraordinary, what happened at the Etihad Stadium, and it will certainly be remembered for football neutrals around the world for some time more. It was enticing, it was exhilarating.

First goal, and I personally thought it was game over. Pablo Zabaleta, in the last game of the season, popping up to score his first Barclays Premier League goal of the year. It might be important to note that I’m a Malaysian too, so I indeed wanted QPR to stay up too, but hopefully not at the expense of Manchester City.

But then, Cisse, then Barton. Wow, everything was already so quick fire. Then came Jamie Mackie. Good old Jamie Mackie. Worked his absolute socks off and was the only one who was able to get at the City midfield (yes, midfield no defence) and he got a header past Joe Hart. 2-1 lead for QPR. And Man City in absolute disarray.

80th minute. It’s all over. It has to be. 2 goals? No chance. 90th minute. GG.com . And then, some magic. Edin Dzeko, getting on the end of a remarkable corner. And then, the moment that erupted the Etihad and silenced the crowd at the Stadium of Light. Sergio Aguero, across that penalty box. Bang, bang, finish. What a time, what a place, what circumstances, what champions.

I love this game.

Are you thinking of placing a bet on an upcoming football fixture, but are unsure which online bookmakers to head to? Make sure you come to Bwin to check out all of their latest odds!

The only two bonuses for both these sides (which actually are really similar) are prize money and pride, as both Liverpool and Swansea can jump up a few places should they pick up 3 points today, whilst Liverpool would also want to finish above rivals Everton, and Swansea likewise above fellow promoted side Norwich City.

Team News

No new injuries for Liverpool reported this week, and Steven Gerrard is likely to return to the starting XI for this one, whilst Jose Enrique is expected to be fit for this one. Liverpool will also have usual absentees in midfielders Charlie Adam and Lucas Leiva, with both still sitting out on the sidelines with long term injuries.

Swansea have 3 players confirmed to be sitting out this one in Ferry Bodde, Kemy Agustien and Andrea Orlandi.

My Predicted Liverpool FC Starting XI

Reina
Johnson, Agger, Skrtel, Enrique
Henderson, Shelvey, Gerrard, Downing
Carroll, Suarez

My Predictions

All out for a win today. Liverpool FC will want to finish the season on a high, and I’m betting on just that. I’m also predicting that Andy Carroll will score at least one goal in the Liberty Stadium later on today.

Side Note: If this one manages to make it on the television here in Malaysia, I’m definitely watching it, but most likely it isn’t, and I’m rooting for Manche$ter City clinching the title tonight!

So yellow’s back to the Liverpool FC kit. Check out the kit reveal, and what the Liverpool FC players had to say about it.

What you need to know about this kit:

Regular fit with needle out pin stripe to front body fabric

Fully embroidered manufacturer logo and iconic Liverpool FC crest on upper chest

Embroidered Eternal Flame detail to outer back neck

Two piece fold over collar with cut and sew placket

Performance fabric designed to work as hard as you do, to keep the elements out while letting sweat and moisture escape from your body keeping you dry and comfortable

4 way stretch mesh under arm panels for ventilation, comfort and ease of movement

84% Polyester / 16% Recycled S.Cafe Polyester

Liverpoolfc.Tv

Haven’t really been doing much in terms of ‘State of Play’ articles lately, and I thought that the two Chelsea meetings really changed the mood around Anfield, so it gave me a good enough reason to return to write something apart from a draggy match report or ‘Top 3 Transfers of the Week”. Both of which can be read here:

Draggy Liverpool FC 4 Chelsea 1 Match Report
Top 3 Liverpool FC Transfer Rumours of the Week

I guess one thing I’ll have to say is to keep moving forward. We need to take these positive signs and translate them into results, into Champions League qualification, into cup wins. I am of the belief that this is a great season that we can build on. After all, we’ve returned to Europe (albeit the Europa League) and we’ve finished with a cup. As Steven Gerrard has said before, winning is still what football is almost always about (at least for the people who actually care about the game).

What I saw in those two matches was the start of a fresh new Liverpool FC side. A side that was eager to perhaps even reward the fans after a tumorous season. After all, goals haven’t come easy, especially at home. You guys might be interested in the stats beside this, as it says here that Liverpool FC have the 2nd most expensive home game price per point and most expensive cost per Liverpool goal at home.

Please note that this statistics are valid as of before the Chelsea game, although it is unlikely to have changed much. But it would be good to know that Liverpool FC have at least sorted out that defence, with the defence able to make an easy transition to next season, although my doubts will remain about Jose Enrique whom has lost the ball all too much over his past few games and it has been his mistakes on numerous occasions this season which have led to opponents knocking one past us.

And a sad end to the game against Chelsea, as Liverpool players made their traditional walk of honour to thank the fans. Maxi Rodriguez can safely be said to be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, and I must say that I still think that he’s an excellent player, and that I wish him success for the future. He was absolutely spectacular in that remarkable second half of the 2010/11 campaign, notching up 2 hat-tricks in succession.

Dirk Kuyt will be another one that will be missed. One who will never give up. One who will pop up at the right moments and score that winning goal. The Dutchman is a really hard worker, and I, too, wish him good luck for the future should he live in the summer.

But I think that Jordan Henderson’s finally ‘getting it’ and that he finally sorta understands what he really needs to do in his game. He’s been taking more risks and he’s been looking more and more impressive by the game. The Englishman just needs to work on carving out more oppourtunities for his teammates, because distribution – good, tracking back – good, so I think that’s still a part of his game that he needs to improve.

Jonjo Shelvey himself looks capable of cementing himself as a permanent fixture in that Liverpool FC Starting XI over the next few years, as his displays and his finish against Chelsea have been really good. Really liking what I’ve seen from him so far.

In the transfer window, I think midfield and reinforcements will be what we will be looking for. Perhaps an addition to the attacking lineup, and potentially a backup/competition for Jose Enrique would be good.

Bojan Krkic (Roma to Liverpool FC)

Liverpool FC long time target Bojan Krkic looks available after admitting he wants showdown talks over his future. His contract with Roma has a buy-back clause which can see the Spaniard move back to Barcelona, but it is unlikely that the Catalan club see the young striker as a player they want to keep for the future.

This is what the 21 year old had to say about his current situation:

I’m hoping that the solution will be sorted in the next few weeks. My agent is working on the matter and I will make the decision on my future.

Krkic told Cope Radio

He would be good for the future, and with us having only 2 recognized strikers on the team, I think it’s most certainly worth it to invest in another striker, especially one of Bojan’s caliber.

Milos Krasic (Juventus to Liverpool)

Yes, another rumour linking a Serie A player to Liverpool FC. This here story is from TalkSport, and they claim that Liverpool are one of the frontrunners for the Serbian winger. The winger has only featured for Juventus on 7 occasions this season after following out with manager Antonio Conte.

Now a summer departure is almost inevitable and there is no shortage of clubs currently in the hunt for the 27-year-old, who joined Juve for around £13 million in 2010.

TalkSport

A winger, maybe that’s what we need, but I still think that we need a backup leftback, with Enrique shaky of late and Glen Johnson often sitting out injured (unavailable to cover if Enrique’s injured)

Hamit Altintop (Real Madrid to Liverpool)

According to Metro, Liverpool FC are chasing Real Madrid midfielder Hamit Altintop. He is seen as the short term replacement for the leaving Dirk Kuyt. The Turkish player is much like Dirk Kuyt, with him having the versatility to play a number of roles all over the pitch for Real Madrid (despite having not been selected regularly at the Bernabau outfit).

If rumours are to be believed, a fee in the region of 2 million pounds would be enough to take the midfielder to Anfield this summer. He has only made 5 appearances in the league this term.

Another Unhappy Homecoming for Mr Torres

First of all, I do understand the importance of not getting too excited after this result. I will admit that although they had the likes of Ramires, Terry and Lampard in the team, they indeed missed the core of the team in Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba and especially their creative midfielder/winger Juan Mata. Ross Turnbull absolutely gifted Jonjo Shelvey his goal, although he did indeed take it very well.

Although it was a performance that saw neither of Liverpool’s strikers go on the scoresheet, it was a performance that will certainly provide Liverpool FC season ticket holders with a performance to remember, and potentially what could become the most potent strikeforce in the Premier League.

Andy Carroll won most of his aerial battles against John Terry, who was made to have a dismal game by Liverpool’s attacking duo. Luis Suarez provided his usual magic, and even managed to nutmeg the now ex-English International Captain on numerous (yes, more than one) occasions).

I’ve talked about Jordan Henderson needing to move forward and think about the forward passing instead of the square passes recently and I think he’s gaining confidence by the week. His goal will certainly do him a world of good, and can only be something to build on for next season.

As you guys know, I’m also a big fan of our English youngster in Raheem Sterling. I was happy to see him get those short minutes out there, and he almost made an immediate impact after pouncing on to a header and then just snatching it at the finish after out-pacing his marker. He also showed that he indeed was a bit of a showboat, a type of player of which Liverpool haven’t had in a while. A few stepovers before completing the move with a through pass. I honestly think that he is the real deal, and is ready to make his breakthrough season next season.

Yesterday we also said goodbye to Argentinian midfielder/winger/second striker Maxi Rodriguez. A fantastic servant to the club and really deserves more games in my opinion. Salvaged Liverpool’s second half of the season last year with a few inspiring hat-tricks to help Liverpool recover from their awful start to the season under now England manager Roy Hodgson.